Alibaba Group's intellectual property rights-protection efforts showed continued improvements last year, according to the 2019 IPR Report.

The Report noted that these improvements are the result of a combination of ever-improving technologies and close partnerships with brands and other external stakeholders.

With reference to the report, the most significant results achieved are the following:

  • 96% of proactively removed listings having been eliminated before a single sale took place.
  • 96% of removal requests submitted through Alibaba's online Intellectual Property Protection Platform (IPP Platform) were processed within 24 hours.
  • There was a 20% year-on-year increase in the number of registered users on the IPP Platform.
  • There was a 57% YoY decrease in the number of listings removed in response to consumer reports of suspected counterfeits, showing increased effectiveness of Alibaba's IP-protection technology.
  • 170 global brand right-holders such as Nestle and Apple joined into Alibaba Anti-counterfeit Alliance (AACA).

In 2019, AACA assisted PSB destroy 1314 facilities manufacturing and selling fake products, arrest 776 criminals. The total value of these cases was more than RMB 37 billion. The company continued to strengthen its offline investigation initiatives, engaging with 439 law enforcement teams from 31 provinces across China and providing 1,045 IP-related leads.

This contributed to the arrest of 4,125 criminal suspects and the closure of 2,029 facilities involved in the manufacturing and distribution of illicit goods. The total value of these cases was estimated at RMB 8.4 billion (US$1.2 billion).

In its annual IP protection report, Alibaba also attributed the results to a number of IP-protection initiatives put in place by the company during 2019.

Establishment of AACA Advisory Committee Rotation System

Since 2019, the AACA has introduced a rotating committee of advisory committees. Over 20 brands have been elected as rotating chairman. In 2019, the AACA held a seminar on intellectual property laws and regulations in response to industry hot topics. A number of AACA brand right-holders are exploring with Alibaba about the application of blockchain for the preservation of evidences in civil proceedings.

First disclosure of "Intellectual Property Protection Technology Brain"

Last year, Alibaba disclosed for the first time its core technology "Intellectual Property Protection Technology Brain" against counterfeits, which won many awards worldwide and received praises from luxury brands such as LV and Gucci. Alibaba supervises operators' shop opening, product release, marketing activities, consumer and rights holder evaluation, and other commercial links to eliminate counterfeits in the bud.

Support center on Intellectual Property Protection

Alibaba launched a dedicated support center on IPP to improve the user experience for overseas Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).

Thanks to the IPP Platform, brands can submit online requests to protect their IP rights. It has already served thousands of SMBs. Alibaba promised in the annual report that the company will continue to cooperate with all authorities and stakeholders to fight counterfeiters in 2020.

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